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Friday, January 21, 2011

Daisy Birthday

This stamp is from an very old set from Hero Arts, one of the first I bought, I think, although my memory isn't the best for stamps. They all sort of blur from those early years when I was definitely in "see it, buy it" mode.

The base is either SU summer sun or maybe morning marigold (I've never been able to keep those two straight), for all y'all who wanted to see more colored card bases. How's that for in-your-face color? Actually, I really like it, and it's not nearly as eye-watering as I thought it would be.

Design Tips: I've made a lot of colored card bases lately, and I find the only ones I really love right now are this basic layout: base, contrasting matte, white stamped panel. It's one I've seen very frequently in the Hero Arts catalogs over the years. This layout has lots of advantages. First, there is nothing distracting from the strong focal point and sentiment; it really highlights the stamping. Second, you can move the image around the card. Here, I'm taking advantage of the rule of thirds by placing the line of the top third of the stamped panel over the line of the top third of the card. (You might need to read that sentence twice to absorb it. It's awkward. I'm sorry.) The amount of yellow cardstock on three sides of the panel is the same, while there's extra on the bottom. By sticking to the thirds, the card is more interesting as well as super-balanced.

When using a fairly basic layout like this, it's a good idea to use some sort of unexpected element, either in the arrangement of the stamped images (not useful here since the image and sentiment are on the same stamp) or in the embellishing. Here, I used glitter (Yellow Stickles) on the flower centers...not hugely original, but it lends a very nice sparkle to the bright colors of the card.

Scrapbooking: I'm still not sure when I'll start scrapbooking again, so don't hold your breath. But It seems many of you were interested in seeing scrapbook pages occasionally, so it'll be in the future as a small part of Simplicity.

Update: I told you all about my friend Mary Grimes, who is a mother of three small children battling colon cancer. Mary had surgery Wednesday, and they didn't find the metastasis they expected. Yeah! She's not clear yet, and has had a horrible long surgery and a 90-minute chemo "bath" while she was on the operating table, followed by another "look and see" surgery Thursday. So continued prayers are definitely in order.

Love the simplicity of this and the yellow is lovely! You could have used it for a past OLW card :-) LOL! I am scared of your most recent challenge and I think everyone who has posted have used up all the good ideas so far!! Hopeful wishes being sent your friends way!!

I love the yellow and black combination! And I just LOVE daisies! :) The "simplicity" of your cards really makes them stand out. Less really is more! Thank you for sharing your beautiful creations with us!

love this card.i had to read the ....thirds.... sentence 3 times. i often arrange so the surrounding mat is the same on 3 sides, larger at the bottom. never realized it was that ...thirds.... thing! thanks for your wisdom, inspiration, and love.prayers for your friend.marty ferraro

Love the card! And I appreciate the artistic input. The idea of thirds is new to me. I am one who always painfully tries to center everything! Your layout does have more 'flair' for lack of a better word...by leaving that extra margin at the bottom. I always know what I like when I see it....I just don't understand the art part. Paper Doll

Being a cancer survivor myself it thrills me to hear that they did not find the expected metastasis! Score one for us, 0 for cancer. I hate cancer and if a cure is ever found I will be celebrating to the hilt.

The paper must be Morning Marigold, because Summer Sun would really hurt the eyes! I loved your card, but was slightly disappointed by the title because I expected something about Daisy the dog. . . . Thank goodness for your pup in the sunshine photo today on your other blog!